General Information

UniDiversity is a ground-breaking initiative aimed at making the academic environment more inclusive towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Intersex (LGBTI+) individuals by targeting discriminatory incidents based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender characteristics (SOGISC) and by training the whole academic community (permanent staff, researchers, students, and other staff) in the use of inclusive language and behavior as well as in conflict resolution, in order to identify, combat and ultimately prevent SOGISC based discrimination in Greece, Lithuania, and Italy.

UniDIversity sheds light in the existing situation of LGBTI+ individuals (challenges they face, discrimination they experience), as well as in the overall discrimination that is exercised in universities, its form, victims, perpetrators and frequency, by designing and conducting specialized research. The above are issues that have been understudied in the literature especially through an anonymous reliable survey and through an objective, bias-free Discrimination Reporting Network (DRN). Secondly, it foresees the development of a dedicated training for the whole academic community in inclusive practices, such as inclusive language, behaviour and effective conflict resolution, all essential for the combatting of current and the preventing of future discrimination. Critically, the training will be guided by the actual needs of the academic community as those have been highlighted during the research component. Last but not least, it will introduce mechanisms and innovative IT tools facilitating the direct, anonymous recording of discriminatory incidents in the academic environment as well as the recording of working solutions against discrimination.

University aims to:

Increase evidence base about the current situation of discrimination based on SOGISC in the academic environment in the 3 countries and thus ability to inform and influence policy.
Improve capacity to prevent, combat, and ultimately prevent discrimination based on SOGISC in the academic community, through increased knowledge and understanding of inclusive practices.
Increase awareness about LGBTI+ equality and the human rights violations, discrimination, and mistreatment that LGBTI+ people face.

Led by the Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences, the consortium implementing this project is composed of
6 partners, three universities and three civil society organisations, across three countries (Greece, Italy and Lithuania):

Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences / Greece (leader)
ColourYouth – Athens LGBTQ Youth Community / Greece (partner)
Diversity Development Group (DDG) / Lithuania (partner)
Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) / Lithuania (partner)
University of Brescia (UNIBS) / Italy (partner)
Avvocatura per i diritti LGBTI (Avvocatura LGBTI) / Italy (partner)

For more information, visit the project’s website: https://unidiversity-project.eu/